Boca Dam
Why it's listed
Boca Dam is a zoned earthfill dam on the Little Truckee River in Nevada County, California, within a mile of the river's junction with the Truckee River and about seven miles east of the town of Truckee. Built between 1937 and 1939, it is 100 feet high with a crest 1,629 feet long and contains roughly 912,000 cubic yards of fill. A 40-foot-wide spillway can discharge 8,000 cubic feet per second, and a concrete-lined tunnel in the right abutment feeds slide gates, steel outlet pipes and needle valves. The reservoir stores water mainly for the Truckee Storage Project around Reno and also supports the Newlands Project. The dam is included within the Newlands Reclamation thematic group of dams and related works in the region, which also covers structures such as Lahontan Dam and the Derby Diversion Dam. The proposed boundary covers about 80 acres around the dam.
Significance in brief: The excerpt does not give a full statement of significance. The dam is part of the Newlands Reclamation Project thematic group, stores water for the Truckee Storage Project near Reno and for the Newlands Project, and is nominated alongside other related dams and works.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 81000712, listed March 25, 1981. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence low).
Key facts
| Address | S end of Boca Resevoir, Truckee |
|---|---|
| County | Nevada County |
| Listed | March 25, 1981 |
| Reference number | 81000712 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Conservation, Engineering |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The dam is described as storing water for the Truckee Storage Project and the Newlands Project. |
| Acreage | 80 |
| Coordinates | 39.39045, -120.09427 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 81000712.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4936083
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.